These days, translators and translation systems are in practical use for automatically translating the content of a talk made by a speaker in an arbitrary language into another language. Conventional translators, etc., include a so-called personal type or interactive type, and a so-called remote conversation type.
FIG. 13A is a diagram illustrating a personal type translator. In the case of FIG. 13A, for example, a speaker inputs verbal speeches “kono hon wa ikura desuka? (Japanese) how much is this book?” in Japanese into the translator. In this case, the translating function of the translator translates the Japanese verbal speeches into English and outputs synthesized speeches “how much is this book?”. The personal translator can be used as a Japanese-English dictionary or can be used for a speaker to tell the intent of the speaker himself/herself to another person by letting another person in seeing the speaker face to face to listen to the synthesized speeches. For example, Non-patent Document 1 discloses such a conventional translator.
FIG. 13B is a diagram illustrating a remote conversation type translator. The translator illustrated in FIG. 13B has a speech communication function as a telephone and a translating function. In the case of FIG. 13B, for example, a speaker who is Japanese inputs verbal speeches “please make a reservation for three people” in native Japanese into the translator. In this case, the translating function of this translator translates the Japanese verbal speeches into English, and outputs synthesized speeches “Please make a reservation for three people”. The remote conversation type translator allows a speaker to tell the intent of the speaker himself/herself to another person who does not understand the native language of the speaker while the speaker is speaking in the native language. For example, Non-patent Document 2 discloses such a conventional translator.
Furthermore, Patent Document 1 discloses another remote conversation type translator. A telephone system disclosed in Patent Document 1 is capable of not only translating the content of a telephone call and transmitting the translated telephone call to a called party, but also transmitting the verbal speeches of a speaker in the telephone call to the called party. Hence, the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 allows a user to feel as if the user were talking to a called side through an interpreter.